22,152 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
It's a bit early but it's done. I'm just north of Detroit and I won't prune for a while yet. I usually wait until the forsythias bloom. The problem with pruning so early is that we are still going to get some really cold weather and heavy frosts and freezes. Unless they're well mulched you could still lose more cane to that and end up with nothing left. Pruning also encourages them to grow and they may try to put out a lot of new growth that won't survive any freezes. this just uses up the plants energy for when the weather really does break. The roses can only do that so many times before they end up dying.
I just lost my snow cover last week and the ground is definitely still frozen. I would wait to fertilize them though. They're not growing yet and can't take it up anyway so it will probably just wash away before the rose can get any of it.
Don't worry about them coming back. They'll be fine. They may even come back better than ever. As long as there was still some green cane left on them above the graft they'll grow once things warm up enough.
This just shows how much you can research but really it all comes down to just "go for it and see what happens." vampy, I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going to put mine, too. Sounds like she may get much bigger than I expected. I'm still excited- those gardenia-looking blooms are beautiful in photos. The coral red centers are really interesting.
You really have a lovely house, and your yard looks great in the summer. My suggestion is to replace those evergreens (yews?) With conifers that make more of a statement. Perhaps a weeping variety or something tall and narrow (junipers) or something similar to flank the front door. Check out the conifer forum for more ideas.
I love hydrangeas and agree that a hydrangea tree would work well to the left of your window. I also think a garden in front of your large tree would jazz up your yard. Hydrangeas would be perfect there with ferns and hostas if they work in your zone.
I know you are looking for something between spring and fall but since you don't like your flower bed during the winter have you considered planting a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick? They do get good sized so plan on that when you plant. They are neat all year long. Maybe plant it out in the yard all by itself.
I agree with Seil. Leave every leaf that plant grows alone until it shows you it's finished with it. Every leaf produces food it needs to do what you want it to do. All the remaining growth contains stored nutrients from last year. Any you remove, removes its share of food reserve. If the plant was large and well established, that wouldn't make a lot of difference. At this stage, it can make a great deal of difference. Kim
Sara-Ann,
I will be posting photos as soon as my first flush happens. Last year at this time, I had only one bed of 6 plants and don't remember the incredible number of buds. I had some flowers of course, but not that many. I think I have learned a lot from my rosy buddies here on the forum, and that's why my roses are so healthy and happy now.
My beautiful babies send you all a wish for a very wonderful spring.
andreark
Tilling up the entire bed and mixing in some compost is what I would do if I could do it easily. Putting a good layer of mulch on the surface every spring helps too. It breaks down over time and helps the soil and it helps keep the soil moist.
RRD is probably more common in knockout than other roses since knockouts tend to be bushier and healthier than other roses. I've found RRD to be more common on healthy roses than sick ones. If you spot RRD early, you typically don't need to get rid of the entire bush. Cut the infected cane down about a foot below where the RRD symptoms appear and most of the time the bush will be OK. If you have it in more than one location, then get rid of the bush as the infection is probably systemic.
I was at a pagoda in Northern Virginia a couple of weeks ago and they had maybe 15 rose bushes. All of them had RRD. Some were almost 100% infected. I tried to tell them they needed to get rid of all the bushes and then wait a few weeks before planting new ones. They just smiled. I'm not sure if they'll do anything.
I have abt. 8 KO roses and count on them for constant color...however, be aware that they are a magnet for Chili-thrips... they are my 'canary in the coal-mine', and it gets so bad in the summer I was ready to rip them out! I attended a meeting at FSC in Lakeland of the rose society, and we discussed what to do, the advice was Imidicloprid...Bayer makes a product both liquid and granular that you apply in March, it's good for 12 months...so I am going to try it..on the KOs also Belinda's Dream and the Don Juans, and several other roses that Chili-thrips love....it's strange because I now have roses that are not bothered by them, mostly China, Noisette, some old Teas.... so we shall see how it goes, I sure hope this stuff works I don't want to dig up any of my garden....sally
Yes. Get a good set of Felco's if you can afford it.
Also, last year Costco's was selling a package of imitation Felco's that even came with replacement blades, hardware and a sharpener. The quality was good for the price, so see if they carry them again this spring.
Hello,
Thank you all for the suggestions, I will be getting some dry fertilizer and feeding them soon! I do live in south Florida where the soil is sandy and we get a lot of rain, I'll see how they do but don't want to over fertilize.
Thank you again!
Lisa
After I spread the pellets around the rose, I turn the hose on to a stiff strong spray and water in the pellets thoroughly. They will start to disintegrate as a result--speed up the process and keeps the hard pellets from just laying there and attracting who knows what kind of critters (including ants?). Then I put mulch on top of the pellets--helps protect them and discourage the critters--and obviously is good for the future retention of moisture when the weather heats up.
Just make sure there is no salt in the alfalfa--that iwould be a recipe for garden disaster!
Kate
I take it that your GS is in a pot/container of some kind, and is not bareroot? If it is bareroot, soak it in a bucket overnight and plant immediately. If it is in a pot/container, the practice usually is to wait until the last danger of a heavy freeze has gone by and then plant it. In the meantime, put the container next to a southern foundation and water occasionally--and put it in the garage overnight if the nighttime temps fall down to freezing.
I'm in Zone 6 Kansas--our last freeze date is sometime around mid-April, so your last freeze date in Zone 7b might be around April 1 or there-abouts.
Kate
Good reliable yellow HT you're getting there, sara. Just remember it is not a big lush showy golden-yellow like Gina Lollabrigida or Henry Fonda. It is a more subdued mild yellow and not always the largest bloom in the garden. It is also (so far at least--mine is still "new") quite bs-resistant, fragrant, and seems to have a good re-bloom rate. A bit taller than most of my other HTs, but they tend to be the shorter ones anyway.
Overall, a charming yellow.
Do let us know how she does in your garden.
Kate
That's too bad! I tried rooting some for the first time this winter; two Valentine's Day roses - Pailine (I think) and Amelia. I left two sets of leaves, scored the bottoms of the stems, used rooting hormone, and potted them directly into soil. Then I set them in a window with a heating pad underneath and plastic pop bottles over top. Out of ten, one Amelia is still alive and setting new leaves. The rest are dead as door nails. The rest all went moldy. Next time I'll pot them into sand - I've read on GW that that's a good way. Don't give up! It's still fun to try!
Hi- leaving aside for a moment the ethical/legal questions of rooting florist roses (if they are patented, that is), you may have much more success with chip-budding them onto existing rootstock than with trying to root cuttings. It is surprisingly easy.
The odd flower either didn't receive exactly the same levels of the necessary nutrients as the darker one, and/or the temperatures were sufficiently different when they were formed to cause the difference. Grow more roses a while longer, you'll see it happen every once in a while. Nothing to worry about, unless the whole bush starts doing it all the time. Then, something is amiss! The odd stem or flower here and there are nothing to worry about. Kim
Thankyou Kim :)